London is returning to an era of neighbourliness and low crime, and its inhabitants are happy to leave their front doors open, according to the country's most senior policeman.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair said the work of community-based Safer Neighbourhood Teams was making people feel as safe as they did 25 years ago.

In an interview with the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, Sir Ian told of a recent visit to Haringey in North London, where he met two officers who had "adopted" a tower block.

He asked: "How long is it since the police patrolled the corridors of a tower block?

"It's as if, when the slums they replaced were flattened and they put that up, the police stopped patrolling, so it's quite an interesting concept, and people are opening their doors, leaving their doors open now, or leaving then unlocked, certainly, in a way they haven't done for 25 years, so there's some interesting things going on."

Sir Ian likened the leaders of the neighbourhood police teams to "the sheriff" who dealt with matters in their area.